


coupé

by spookykingdomstarlight



Category: Star Wars (Marvel Comics), Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Dancing, F/F, First Kiss, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-19
Updated: 2016-11-19
Packaged: 2018-08-30 16:17:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8539882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookykingdomstarlight/pseuds/spookykingdomstarlight
Summary: Evaan wasn’t like this. She didn’t feel like this. Not for anyone except Leia, she supposed. For Leia—for Leia and from Leia and because of Leia—she wanted a great many things.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [virusq](https://archiveofourown.org/users/virusq/gifts).



“This is humiliating,” Evaan said, brushing at the dress Leia had chosen for her, a blue so dark it was almost black. It skimmed over her torso and left very little to the imagination in her opinion. “And I’m not entirely sure where I’m supposed to hide my blaster in this thing.”

“You’re not hiding a blaster,” Leia answered, prompt, striding across the room to fuss with the dress in question, tugging at the neckline and smoothing her hands over Evaan’s sides. She, of course, looked as beautiful and at ease in her own dress—white, as always, white as the snow-topped mountains of Alderaan that no longer existed—as Evaan wasn’t. “You’re my escort, not my bodyguard.”

If Evaan didn’t know any better, she’d have thought Leia was just finding an excuse to touch her. She wouldn’t have minded that, of course, but peering down at Leia, so focused on analyzing her appearance, she supposed Leia really _was_ only interested in ensuring Evaan was appropriately attired. She refused to be disappointed.

“I didn’t agree to that,” Evaan said, stepping out of Leia’s grasp. “I’m only here as your backup, Your Highness.”

Leia’s brows furrowed, a thunderous expression crossing her features, and for a moment Evaan worried that Leia would yell at her, though why she would do so escaped Evaan’s understanding. But then her face cleared. “It would be suspicious, Evaan,” she insisted, utterly reasonable. “That’s why I asked you to _be my date_ for the evening.”

“But—”

“No buts,” Leia said, wagging her finger in Evaan’s face, “and no blasters.”

Evaan straightened, forcing a smirk onto her face that she didn’t feel just because she knew it would annoy Leia. It was the only payback she could get. “Yes, ma’am.”

*

A ballroom floor, the waxed, patterned wood shining under glinting chandeliers. People, so many people, clumped in small, chattering groups. Music Evaan neither recognized nor cared for. A party that was a party as far as Evaan could tell. And a boring party at that.

She wished she was anywhere else.

No, that wasn’t entirely true. She wished she was anywhere else with Leia’s arm wrapped around hers, warm and soft just like now. Which, admittedly, wasn’t likely to occur anywhere else, so.

It was a terrible conundrum she found herself with.

She hated conundrums.

“You might try relaxing,” Leia said, the words a harsh whisper meant for Evaan’s ears only, a fake smile plastered across her mouth as she nodded at a passing dignitary. The man was short and scrawny and bedecked in more jewels than Evaan had ever seen in her life and Evaan envied him for seeming to actually _enjoy_ this event, waving with avuncular charm at Leia in response.

“You might have found a better ‘date,’” Evaan replied, equally quiet, worried that the pointed toe of her shoe was going to wrap itself in the hem of her dress and send her crashing to the ground. “It’s obvious I don’t belong here in this capacity.” She flicked a fingertip briefly toward the wall where a number of very obvious members of a variety of protective details stood. Leia’s eyes followed the motion, understanding it immediately. “And see? I wouldn’t have looked suspicious.”

“Congratulations.” Leia’s voice cracked, dry as ice on the coldest of cold days, light and frosted and fragile. Her face turned pink, too, like a freezing wind had chapped her skin, and she wouldn’t look Evaan in the eye. “Would you like to go skulk in a corner with them?”

“I—” She certainly would have been more comfortable if not for the dress and the lack of a weapon, but something held her tongue. Intuition, maybe, or bravery. “No. I honor my agreements.”

Leia said something under her breath, but a swell of music swallowed her words. And before Evaan could ask, Leia stopped walking, her hand tightening around Evaan’s forearm. “Will you dance with me?” she asked, not quite looking at Evaan’s face, apologetic. Or as apologetic as Leia ever got.

Evaan frowned, but noted that yes, it appeared there were others pairing off, grasping partners between fingers and by their shoulders or waists. Apparently that swell of music had been some sort of signal and Evaan realized she wanted, quite badly, to do just as Leia asked.

Good thing she’d learned how to dance from Queen Breha, so many dances she couldn’t remember the names of some of them. This, at least, was something she could do for Leia. Raising her hand, palm up, she nodded. “By all means,” she said, wiggling her fingers.

Leia’s head jerked up and her mouth fell open in momentary surprise. Evaan couldn’t blame Leia for that given the rest of her behavior tonight, but guilt still twisted her heart, leaving her aching and wrung out. She had been ungracious tonight. Breha would have been disappointed.

Evaan _was_ disappointed. In herself. In this situation.

If only she could—

Leia’s hand wound around hers, warm, smaller than Evaan’s own. Evaan’s heart tripped in her chest, pounding wildly at the intimacy of this touch. And when her hand took hold of Leia’s waist, the shimmersilk of her dress cool and sleek beneath Evaan’s palm, she thought she might find herself in need of a medic, her body too enervated to keep up.

Breha’s training, thankfully, kicked in, her feet moving just as they should, her hands staying put, her body forming the necessary frame for Leia to shine from. And Evaan knew she shined. Every inch of her from the modest silver wound through her braids down to the bottom of her white shoes, the synthleather glowing beneath the lights. Even her eyes gleamed.

She was beautiful, so stunning that the next step Evaan took was delayed, nearly tripping Leia up until Evaan’s movements smoothed out and caught up. “Sorry,” she said, throat tight.

“That’s okay,” Leia answered. “I’ve danced with worse.”

 _You’ve danced with better, too, I’d bet_. “Leia, I—” But she cut herself off as Leia spun away, tethered to Evaan by the grip of one hand, and thought better of finishing that comment when she returned.

“Yes?”

“Nothing.” She shook her head, a few tendrils of her blonde hair tickling at her cheek. “You’re very good.”

“We had the same teacher. I should hope I could keep up.”

It cheered Evaan to think there was still something purely of Alderaan that could still exist, even as nebulous as a dance shared between two of its daughters, gave her a sense of the strength that could still exist for its people, even in absence of a home. A wealth of emotion bubbled up inside of her, so much of it that it threatened to consume her. “I love you,” she said, her mind stuttering to a halt even as her mouth spoke the words.

Needless to say, the dance they were sharing screeched to a halt, Evaan nearly backing into a nearby couple as she took a step and tried to pull herself from Leia’s grip. _Wrong, wrong. You shouldn’t have said that, Evaan._

But Leia’s grip was tight and sure and she pulled Evaan back toward her. “Say that again,” she said, her voice pitched low. Evaan heard the intensity even over the sound of the music that hadn’t stopped even though Evaan’s world had. With a strength Evaan didn’t know Leia possessed, Leia took the lead on the dance, nudging her into taking the proper steps. “Please, Evaan.”

But Evaan’s throat had dried in the meantime and she felt very much as though her heart was going to climb out of her mouth if she opened it.

“Okay,” Leia said, even, only sounding a little bit disappointed. “Then I have something to say.”

The moment of silence that fell between them stretched and stretched again and seemed poised to stretch a third time when Leia drew in a breath. “I didn’t really need a bodyguard for tonight,” she said. “I wanted you to be my date. I… might have let you think I needed a bodyguard so that you’d agree.”

Evaan found her voice just in time to fight the injustice of Leia’s suggestion. “But you did tell me that. You said _precisely_ that.”

“And I knew you didn’t believe me.” She looked away, turning Evaan with more force than Evaan was expecting. “I should have been more truthful. I’m sorry.” When her eyes found Evaan’s again, they were bright. “Please. Tell me.”

“I—” The words stuck in her throat, her tongue thick and unwieldy in his mouth. It was true. She’d never before had a problem speaking the truth. In a rush, she forced it out between unwilling teeth. “I love you.” She lifted her chin and bit her lip to keep it from trembling. For all the good that did.

It wasn’t fair that Leia could do this to her. It wasn’t _fair_. Not when Leia was so composed in comparison.

“Evaan?” Leia asked, a little shy, her cheeks pinker. The music seemed to slow—or perhaps it really was coming to an end—and Leia released her hold on Evaan, just for a moment, just so she could take Evaan’s face between her hands. Pulling her down, she added in a whisper, “I love you, too.”

She pressed her mouth to Evaan’s, soft and warm and so sweet that Evaan’s chest seized, the urge to curl around Leia and never let her go almost impossible to ignore. Evaan wasn’t like this. She didn’t feel like this. Not for anyone except Leia, she supposed. For Leia—for Leia and from Leia and because of Leia—she wanted a great many things.

And from the way Leia was looking at her when she drew her mouth away, wide-eyed, her gaze full of promise, Leia was perfectly willing to give them to her.


End file.
